Still Life
by Londoncalling89
Summary: As the relationship between Charles and Elsie blooms an unexpected visitor comes and turns their lives upside down. Its always said that we do for family, but what will be the cost?
1. Chapter 1

It was late evening and as usual Elsie Hughes was buried up to her nose in her ledgers. In the past few weeks, no matter how hard she tried they never seemed to be caught up. She was beginning to feel like Sisyphus forever pushing her boulder uphill. She began to wonder how much longer she wanted to keep pushing her boulder. Times were changing, and while she was happy to change with them she could feel her speed slowly down. The lightness in her step which used to propel her through hours of stair climbing had gone, now every step felt like a mile and she began to wonder how lovely it might be to lay in bed all day and never have her feet touch the ground.

A soft knocking at her door pulled her from her thoughts and a handsome smile greeted her from the butler, Mr. Charles Carson.

"Mrs. Hughes has everyone gone up for the evening?" He said softly, leaning against the doorway of her sitting room.

"I believe so, rather a bit ago I'm afraid."

"Ah, then perhaps you would indulge me with an evening glass of wine?" He said coming into her sitting room, two glasses of wine in his hands.

"I would love to Mr. Carson." She said getting up and taking one of the glasses from his hand. "Perhaps we should relax upon my settee as well?" she asked, unable to hide the happiness in her voice.

"Excellent!" He said gently sitting down at a slight angle, and opening his arms wide for her. She promptly settled in next to him, relaxing back into his embrace and resting her cheek against his shoulder, snuggling her nose into his sweet smelling neck.

This had become their new routine since their evening at the beach when they had finally experienced the electric shock of intimate contact. Contact that was voluntary and was no purpose other then the pleasure of both parties. Elsie smiled to herself thinking of all the times they had briefly touched while passing various papers to each other. Never had they touched for the simple pleasure of just touching. But now that Pandora's box had been opened they could hardly wait until the evening when the house was eerily silent and all its cast of characters were fast asleep in their beds, then and only then would they indulge in the experience they both so dearly craved.

Charles lay there for a moment enjoying the feeling of Elsie's body nestled into his and the wonderful aroma of her soap mingling with the sweat of her body. It was times like these he wished he was a cad. But he wasn't, nor was he ever likely to be. He respected Elsie more then anyone else and would never dream of compromising her except of course during those dark moments in the middle of the night when his minded wandered to the most depraved part of him, relishing in the possibilities of carnal pleasure with the wonderful creature before him, but that must be pushed aside in the waking hours he reminded himself. So far they had not gotten past tentative, gentle kisses. Some times he would caress her sides gently but he was also wary of where his hands were and how close they slipped towards her most sensitive parts. He would not lay a hand on any body part that would only be right in marriage.

Elsie herself was very happy with their new arrangement. While perhaps she had hoped that his desire for her might sweep him away one day, and herself as well, this was not to be it seemed. He was hesitant and shy, and Elsie wondered if he had as little experience as she did, especially considering how cautious he always was that his hands did not stray to impolite places. She smiled at his sweetness, she knew he honored her and put her above all others. She knew how much it meant to him not to compromise her but in these tender moments of contact she truly wished for nothing more then to have him throw her back against the pillows, plunder her lips with his and touch every inch of her body. She quickly began sipping her wine, hoping it might erase the erotic images flashing in her mind.

"Who was your letter from?" She asked, breaking the silence in the room and the roaring of voices in her head.

"No one." Charles said firmly, sipping his wine.

"How is no one able to write and letter and post it?" She asked, arching her brow at him. He looked down at her face, and gently placed a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"You my dear are far too literal, I meant that it was from no one of importance."

"Then why did you crumble it up and throw it away?"

"Did you go through my waste bin?" He said, feeling himself getting annoyed.

"No, how dare you accuse me of such a thing?" She said sitting up and extricating herself from his arms.

"Well there is a mild precedence for it if you recall."

"That's not kind Mr. Carson."

"I'm sorry, then how did you know what I had done with the letter?"

"I happened to…well…" she began blushing and suddenly Charles interest was truly piqued.

"Hm?" He asked egging her on.

"After I handed you the letter and you turned around to read it I…well…I paused momentarily to admire something." She said, coughing slightly at the end.

"Admire something?" He asked, his voice having raised an octive.

"Yes." She looked sheepishly down at the floor.

"What was in my room you would be admiring."

"You." She said quickly, taking a large sip of wine.

"Me?! What would you admire about me, especially with my back turned?" He asked. Finally she looked up into his eyes then quickly looked back at the ground.

"My backside! You were admiring my backside!"

"Your bottom to be precise." She added, her blush getting redder by the minute.

"My bottom! Goodness Mrs. Hughes, you have shocked me."

"I'm sorry. It wasn't appropriate, I promise it will not happen again in the future." She said getting up and placing her wine glass on the table. She felt like such a harlot and wanted nothing more then to have the great ground below Downton reach up and swallow her whole.

"No Mrs. Hughes, its fine truly. I'm very flattered in fact." He said quickly standing up and taking her hands.

"I feel so embarrassed." She whispered.

"Please Mrs. Hughes, don't feel embarrassed. I truly am flattered and must admit…as difficult as it is that I have myself in the past indulged in admiring your…form."

"My form?" She asked looking up at him, a question in her eye and a smile on her lips as she noted the blush now creeping over the butler's façade.

"Yes, your…form."

"And what specifically of my form do you admire?" She said, a sudden brazenness taking hold of her.

"Every inch of it Mrs. Hughes." He said looking down at the ground, completely mortified at the inappropriate turn the conversation had taken, wondering if perhaps in the future he ought to just answer her questions quickly and be done with it.

"Oh Mr. Carson, that is the sweetest thing I've ever heard." She said reaching up and stroking his cheek. "You've still not told me who wrote the letter."

"You and that darn letter, can we not discuss other things?" he asked.

"Perhaps we could discuss each others forms in more detail if you'd like?" She said, cocking her eye brow at him.

"Fine, it was from my niece Charlotte."

"I didn't know you had a niece." She said taking her place back on the settee. He sat down next to her again and pulled her into a warm embrace.

"I'd venture to say Mrs. Hughes, there are a great many things you don't know about me. She's my sisters daughter. My sister died when the girl was ten and her father took her away to Dover to raise her with his family. I've only met her a handful of times in my life and we rarely exchange letters."

"What did she want?" She asked as she gently stroked his chest.

"She wants a job."

"How wonderful! We've been needing a new maid. Is she a good worker?"

"I don't know, nor will we find out. I wrote to her to tell her I was unable to help her."

"Why would you do that? She's family!"

"That she may be but from what I've heard from her father she's a bit of a wild child. Besides I'm butler here, not uncle Charlie. I need a staff who respect me and who I can rely on. I doubt she could be either. I sent her a little money to help her out but made it clear there was no position here for her."

"I think that was unkind of you Mr. Carson." Elsie said enjoying his warmth too much to pull away.

"That may be but I have done what I think best."

"As you always do."

"Mrs. Hughes, perhaps we can just lay here and enjoy our evening and not think of unpleasant things."

"Alright Mr. Carson, but you can expect an earful tomorrow." She said gently reaching up and placing a soft kiss upon his lips.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He whispered pushing another gentle kiss upon her lips.


	2. Chapter 2

Elsie watched the post for the next two weeks carefully. She knew it would be unethical to open his mail without his consent but perhaps if she happened to spy a letter from his niece she might be able to put him in a better mood before he read it. She'd recently discovered the power she had over Charles, and some dark part of her loved it.

She had first noticed the effect she'd had on him after she'd had a particularly unpleasant conversation with Lady Grantham. Somehow Lady Grantham expected Elsie to plan the entire garden party with the smallest budget in almost ten years, along with that she had withdrawn the usual bonus she offered to employees who offered to forgo their half day to help prepare for the party. Elsie could only imagine how poorly that would go over with the staff. As she had come downstairs from that meeting, practically fuming she immediately went into the butlers pantry, closed the door behind her and pressed her head to his back and wrapping her arms around his middle. He'd been caught unaware and jumped slightly at the sudden intimate contact, but when the familiar scent of her suddenly filled the room he felt at ease and placed his hands gently over hers. Once she felt in control of herself again Elsie left the room without a word. She noticed though the rest of the day the butler seemed to have a spring in his step and a sloppy smile on his face.

A few days later the butler himself had a rather trying day and Elsie could hear him rattling around in his pantry, slamming drawers and muttering to himself. She wondered if the euphoric effects of intimacy could help and went to test her theory.

"Mrs. Hughes, I really don't have time-" He said as she entered the room but was cut off completely when she grabbed his face in her hands and pushed her lips against his in a searing kiss he hadn't expected at all. After a moment of hesitation he returned the kiss with fervor, wrapping his arms around her waist and crushing her to him. He'd never pressed her so closely before but the unchecked passion flowing between the two had suppressed the last of his will power. It had only taken a few moments of passionate kissing and well placed petting to make his desire for her evident. Her lips curled into a smile against his before she finally pulled away and left the room. The rest of the day Charles waltzed around as if he was on cloud nine. Elsie could hardly understand it but somehow she was able to alter his entire state of mind, for rather prolonged periods of time, with the simplest of feminine contact.

She knew it was slight unethical as well to use her female powers against him but as she considered the lot in life to which most women were subscribed, she let her scruples fade away. Not to mention the sheer enjoyment she got out of nearly every exchange of that manor.

But alas all her planning was to be for naught, as the weeks passed another letter from his niece never appeared.

It was an early Wednesday morning for the downstairs staff. Especially for Mr. Carson who had spent far too long the previous night with the housekeeper wrapped in his arms. They had finally parted for the night just after 1am and while his body was weary his mind was not. He'd gotten a fitful night sleep, his mind battling over ideas of the alluring creature he'd spent most of the night with. He wanted to marry her, that he knew but he was unsure of her feelings. She'd turned down marriage before for her position, would she do it again? Could he handle such rejection? He was hardly ready to retire, and he highly doubted that she was. Their current arrangement seemed to be working but there were clear limits to such an arrangement. And while Charles dreamed of the day he might fully make her his, where he could give her his body along with his soul he knew far too well such things could only happen in a marriage. It seemed to his tired mind that the relief to his celibacy would be long in the making. With these thoughts he made his way downstairs early and locked himself away in his pantry. If he could get some work done this morning perhaps his mind would be clear when he met her at the breakfast table. It would do no one good for his mind to be so distracted in such a public setting.

"Mr. Carson?" Elsie said lightly tapping on his door.

"Come in." He said, three hours of ledgers having dulled his thoughts of matrimony and the like.

"Mr. Carson there is someone here to see you." She said, a smile on her face, hoping to soften whatever reaction might be coming next.

"Who in Gods name would be here this early to see me?"

"You best come in to the servants hall and see for yourself. She wont give me her name, only says she must see you."

"Blast." He said getting up and walking past her quickly. Whoever this foul person was would be sorry for interrupting his day so early once he was done with them. But as he entered the servants hall he froze in complete and utter horror.

"Hello Uncle Charles." A tall, plump brunette said. Perhaps if one had seen them in separate rooms one could claim no relation but standing only a few feet apart the family resemblance was uncanny.

"Charlotte, what on earth?!" He shouted, his face going red and his body beginning to shake.


End file.
